First year Heliar's

[Tracy Storer]

Looks correct to me. Under the black paint most folks don't notice the aperture ring is brass. Looks like your version has "rolled in" elements rather than threaded retainers. I have both types. Some are sharper than others, my 300 seems sharper than my 360 on the GG. (Sharper near the center)

[Scott Schroeder]

Thanks Tracey. Unfortunately, there is no "sharp" in the center... It's a nice soft focus, dreamy look but not what I'm after. So I'm regrettably going to send it back.

[Louis Pacilla]

Thanks Tracey. Unfortunately, there is no "sharp" in the center... It's a nice soft focus, dreamy look but not what I'm after. So I'm regrettably going to send it back.

Yea somethings wrong with that Heliar. I would send it back.My guess is it's not the inner element that's a miss but one of the outer elements as they can be easily damaged & could have been replaced at some point and that can muck up a great lens.

All three of my Heliars 300-360-480 have the same great Heliar look. My 300-360 are built in the same way as yours w/ built in hood and the inner element is rolled in.

[Scott Schroeder]

Thanks Louis. Yea it's going back..... I honestly don't care how roughed up the lens is. I just want it functional. Those pretty ones on eBay are just too pricey.

[Emil Schildt]

Thanks Louis. Yea it's going back..... I honestly don't care how roughed up the lens is. I just want it functional. Those pretty ones on eBay are just too pricey.

should I look for one for you? (300mm?)

[Ari]

Thanks Louis. Yea it's going back..... I honestly don't care how roughed up the lens is. I just want it functional. Those pretty ones on eBay are just too pricey.

Sorry to hear that, Scott; better luck with your next Heliar, which, hopefully, isn't far off.

[Scott Schroeder]

Well Emil that would be great if it wasn't too expensive. Yes, I've been looking for a 300mm f/4 of f/4.5 lens for awhile now. The Heliar was a perfect fit for some portraits I have in mind. I have a nice derogy 12" that I really dig but it's f/8. I need the speed for collodion plates.
The reason for this is I love shooting whole plate. I also love 50mm on a 35mm camera. A 300 is right about the equivalent.

[Steven Tribe]

PM sent!

[lucaas]

Replying this old thread because I saw a Voigtlander Heliar 150mm lens with sn. 601181 mounted in a dail set Compur shutter. The shutter's sn is 524690 which put it in 1922-1923. It appears the lens was factory mounted on the shutter.

According to replies in this thread, the serial number between 55000-61000 (or 58000-65000) were for Voigtlander USA or reserved for prototypes. I don't think this one is a prototype lens. The engraving style on the lens is not like the lenses sold in the US either.
Any idea the manufacture date of this lens?

Thanks,
Xing

[Steven Tribe]

I think it is pretty well established (mostly by lots of other threads here with "impossible" early serial numbers with late Voigtlander series) that the missing serial numbers were allocated to Voigtlander USA and used by them in, at present, unknown way. The idea about use on prototypes has no evidence to support it - in fact, most industry prototypes do not have serial numbers or even "commercial standard" engravings.

I think most, if not all, USA "reserved serial number" lenses have USA clearly marked on them and all engraving work is done in a slightly simplied script.

Yours is definitely from Germany - it is 6xx,xxx rather than 6x,xxx!
The Heliar is from about 1931. Shutter could be original as the great German Depression meant camera equipment stocks were huge in the late 1920's.